Salvation
by shannyfish
Summary: John and Elizabeth are separated from the team during a diplomatic mission offworld when they are ambushed by Genii. Hope is far and survival is the only thing on John's mind. They must struggle against Kolya in order to keep information from him and to
1. Never An Easy Mission

**Title:** Salvation

**Author:** atlantis child (Command Dynamics), innocent choir girl John and Elizabeth are separated from the team during a diplomatic mission off-world when they are ambushed by Genii. Hope is far and survival is the only thing on John's mind. They must struggle against Kolya in order to keep information from him and to break out of the Genii prison. Spoilers for seasons one through three.

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort

**Warnings:** Abuse, Character Death, Drugs, Torture, Violence

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 1 "Never An Easy Mission"

**Author's Notes: **This story idea popped into my head, and as much as I fought it off to write later…when one of my other three stories was complete…or when I was already settled into the upcoming semester, it's still poking at me. So, here it is. I tried to research things in this as best as I could, I even had help! So, hopefully it'll all make sense throughout, so I can at least hope. Please read and review! Constructive criticism is always welcome.

"I still don't like you coming along like this," John said voicing his opinion as they left the Stargate and headed in towards the settlement in which one of the Atlantis teams had started to trade with. But John would much rather have gone there with his team and some Marines to scout the place out himself before he allowed Elizabeth along, but she had other plans.

Smirking, Elizabeth looked over at him, "You always say that."

"And bad things always happen," John pointed out.

Rodney decided to put his two cents in, "I have to agree with Sheppard on that. Plus, nothing ever goes as easy as we think. There's usually something incredibly horrible on each and every mission. Wraith…arrows aimed at sensitive body parts…angry village people…"

"Come on, you act like I'm a jinx or something," Elizabeth teased. "Name one time when I went off-world and bad things happened."

A smirk spread across Ronan's face as he thought of something to add to the banter of the group. He didn't speak often, but when he did, he meant it. "That planet blew up that one time."

"Niam attacked you and you almost died," John added adding emphasis on 'died'. He shook his head, "I'm not saying you're a jinx, Elizabeth…it's just that I'd feel better if you were on Atlantis…or if we had checked the place out first."

"Don't you trust Major Keane's team?" she asked curiously.

Teyla smiled, "I believe Colonel Sheppard would just like to see things for himself first. Is that not what you meant, Colonel?"

"Exactly!" John agreed. "You know…different people pick up different things. What Keane's team might not have seen, we might see."

As the settlement came into view, Elizabeth noted the serene look of the place. The main marketplace was in the center of the place with the homes surrounding it. Everything in neat lines. The buildings were on story built out of what Elizabeth could only figure was wood and some form of cement compound. They were still primitive as in comparison to Earth, but the goods they had to trade were in good quality. Not only a surplus of food that could be traded, but personal luxuries as well such as cloth and handmade decorations. Elizabeth was hoping that if they turned out to be as friendly of allies as she hoped that they would agree to take them in in case of emergency or even set up so that her people could vacation there.

Ronan brought up his gun when a child came bounding their way and then stopped to point at them and yell back at the village.

Teyla's hand quickly went up and pushed the gun down, "Ronan! That is a child!"

"Still could be dangerous."

The team just looked at Ronan. "Let's try not to point weapons," Elizabeth suggested. "Especially the children. They tend to bounce around and be loud, but are harmless."

The meeting with the council of elders was going along smoothly. Elizabeth was becoming more and more confident that the settlement, Tipene, would become a great resource for Atlantis. The elders seemed all in agreement and happy with the idea of opening trade with them. Elizabeth was feeling the need to poke back at John that she was not a jinx, that the diplomatic mission they were on had gone wonderfully so far when there were screams. Looking around, she tried to figure out in which direction they were coming from and the reason behind them, but before she could figure out anything, she was being dragged from the open area towards one of the buildings. She wasn't the only one though; the council had retreated in a structure on their side of the table. They were safe, Elizabeth thought as she felt the hardness of a wall against her back as she was pushed back against it.

"Genii," Teyla spoke softly after looking around the corner.

"Great," John muttered. He looked over at Elizabeth, wondering if this had been a trap or if this was just a stop for the Genii to try to conquest. Either way, Genii that shot first were the enemy and seemed to be hell bent on killing him or Elizabeth, and he wasn't about to let either happen. "Rodney and Elizabeth, you two start running for the Stargate. We'll cover you. When you get to the gate, don't stop. Dial out; we'll be right behind you."

Rodney nodded quickly.

"John," Elizabeth started to argue.

"Do you have a gun?" John asked a bit harshly, and he already knew the answer, but he was trying to make a point. She was a diplomat, not a solider. He really only let Rodney go on the missions because he was getting better at defending himself, at least he carried a gun, plus he came in handy with Ancient devices and other devices every once in awhile.

"No, but—"

"You'll go with Rodney. We'll cover you." When she went to open her mouth again, he cut her off. "Elizabeth, I'm not arguing with you. The Genii aren't getting you or Rodney."

"And what about you? They almost killed you last time, John."

John smiled and then motioned to Teyla and Ronan, "I have back-up this time. Don't worry; we'll be right behind you." When she nodded, he waited for Teyla to nod, before telling them to go. He watched them run for a minute before nodding to Teyla and Ronan and opening fire on the invading Genii. There were Genii shooting into the buildings and trying to knock down doors, but when they were finally seen, the Genii switched their focus.

Elizabeth stopped and looked back briefly when the first wave of bullets went off. She wondered if they were okay. What was going on… But before she could think anymore, she was being pulled along again.

"Elizabeth, they're fine. I mean, it's Sheppard and Ronan and Teyla… They can handle themselves. Ronan could take like the whole Genii army…by himself. They can handle a handful," Rodney told her as they headed again towards the Stargate.

As they hurried into the trees suddenly a tree branch came down and knocked Rodney over the head sending him down face first and unconscious. Elizabeth started to look him over and tried to look around when she heard a branch crack behind her. She froze and wondered if she should look or just stay still. But before she could figure out what to do there was a voice.

"Doctor Elizabeth Weir…it's been too long," Kolya said before swinging the large tree branch once again, knocking her to the ground and unconscious as well. He pulled McKay out farther to the edge of the trees, leaving him face down and so that he could not be missed when Sheppard and his team retraced their steps towards the gate. Going back to Weir, he propped her up so she was leaning against a tree and then grinned at his handiwork as blood trickled down her forehead.

As Teyla hurried towards the tree line where they had cut through when they had come from the Stargate she stopped for a minute at what she saw close by. Looking back, she called out to Sheppard, "Doctor McKay is injured!" she shouted before running to Rodney's side. She checked on him, and when she realized he was only unconscious, she let out a breath of relief.

"Where's Elizabeth?" John demanded looking around.

"Doctor McKay has a head injury, Colonel. He is bleeding out quite heavily. We should get him back to Atlantis," Teyla told John.

Nodding, John ordered, "You and Ronan get Rodney to Atlantis. I'm going to find Elizabeth and I'll be right behind you."

"I should stay with you," Ronan argued.

"The Genii aren't following us; it'll be easier with less people. Plus, Teyla's gonna need your help hauling Rodney to Atlantis. I'll be fine," John assured.

Finally, Ronan nodded and picked up McKay slinging him over his shoulder before starting out with Teyla towards the gate.

John pulled his gun up tightly ready for anything that would jump out from behind a tree. Elizabeth had to be close by, he knew it. And if Rodney was any kind of example to go off of, Elizabeth was injured. He half wanted to shout her name, but he didn't want to give away his position in case there was someone waiting. As he walked deeper into the trees, he was starting to loose hope in finding her. Why would she be so much farther in? But then he saw her and he froze.

The blood that was trickling down right above her eye told him that she was injured and likely hit over the head as McKay had been. But she was propped up, which meant that someone had done it. "Elizabeth," he called out knowing that whoever had propped her up was close-by and no doubtingly could see him. When she didn't respond, he moved a bit closer still cautious of the surroundings.

"Sheppard, we meet again."

John spun around to try to locate where the voice was coming from. But when he heard the charge of a weapon from Elizabeth's direction, he turned back to her to see Kolya had her on her feet with a gun to her head. He aimed for Kolya, "Let her go!"

"You said you'd kill me next time you saw me…but will you risk her life?" he asked with a smirk.

"I'm not aiming for her, and you know how good my aim is," John reminded him remembering the last time Kolya had Elizabeth hostage.

Elizabeth started to stir, mumbling softly as she found the fact that she was on her feet confusing and then the fact that John had a gun aimed at her.

Changing his original plan, Kolya pulled his knife from his side and stabbed Elizabeth with it, just her shoulder, but he only wanted to make a point. "I can kill her first, Sheppard." Moving the knife to Elizabeth's heart, he pressed it hard against the fabric of her jacket. "I can feel her heart beat…and I can stop it."

Holding her breath, Elizabeth closed her eyes remembering the last time Kolya had her hostage like this. "Just shoot him, John!" she yelled out. But when Kolya pressed harder and she could could feel the knife on her skin, she let out a loud gasp.

"Put down your weapon, Sheppard and turn around," Kolya ordered.

John nodded and slowly unlatched his weapon from his chest and slowly let it drop to the ground. He wasn't about to let Kolya kill Elizabeth. He knew Kolya would do it, too. It wasn't just an idle threat. Elizabeth was already injured enough; he didn't need to risk her further injury.

"And the rest…" Kolya prompted.

Going through slowly, he dropped the rest of his weapons down in front of him in a pile.

"Now, we're going to walk to the Stargate…and you're going to lead. Don't do anything stupid, Sheppard. I doubt you can save Doctor Weir with my knife stuck in her heart…"

Elizabeth opened her eyes and felt her heart stop for a second when John turned around with his arms raised and then started to walk. Kolya was going to kill them both. She just hoped that the others were waiting, and would stop him before they made it to the gate, but as they walked closer to the gate, more Genii joined them forming a guard.

TBC…


	2. Five Minutes

**Title:** Salvation

**Author:** atlantis child (Command Dynamics), innocent choir girl John and Elizabeth are separated from the team during a diplomatic mission off-world when they are ambushed by Genii. Hope is far and survival is the only thing on John's mind. They must struggle against Kolya in order to keep information from him and to break out of the Genii prison. Spoilers for seasons one through three.

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort

**Warnings:** Abuse, Character Death, Drugs, Torture, Violence

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 2 "Five Minutes"

**Author's Notes: **none

Kolya's Genii had tied up John and Elizabeth so there wouldn't be any escape attempts even before they had gotten to the Stargate. He didn't want to risk losing them, especially not befre he got them to the gate. Kolya gated them off-world only to gate them two more times in order to get to his intended location. "We wouldn't want Doctor McKay to find us, that is, if he's still alive," Kolya told them as they walked through the tall trees.

It was dark and he could tell by how Elizabeth was walking that it was hard for her to see. Either that or she was just suffering from her head injury. Either way, he didn't think she'd be able to walk…or rather keep from falling. "We need to rest," John chanced speaking up. He knew that it was more likely that Kolya would hit him or just merely laugh at him, but wasn't it worth a try?

"It's not much farther," Kolya said, but stopped and turned just to entertain Sheppard. "Can't keep up?"

"It's not that," John said and then thought maybe flat out honesty was best. He was used to the pace and distance, but for the last two years Elizabeth had almost solely been n Atlantis. That was hardly anywhere for a proper hike. "Elizabeth isn't used to this. Just five minutes…her head needs to be bandaged and she needs water."

Kolya found Sheppard amusing thinking that he'd carry around medical supplies to patch up people they'd injured. "And where do you suggest we get bandages?"

"My pack has a medical kit. Your men can look it over and supervise. Why would I keep a weapon inside of my pack rather than within in reach?"

Nodding Kolya decided that this would most likely prove to keeping Weir longer. "Five minutes," Kolya told them.

Looking at Kolya he held out his bound hands, "I need my hands. Look, I'll promise or swear not to do anything stupid if you like."

"Untie him."

"And Elizabeth," John tried to push.

"No."

Figuring that he better not chance his luck he watched as one of the Genii cut the ropes. Letting the pack fall down his arms, he went through the pack with the Genii looking various items over to inspect. Finally, John handed one of them the med kit. "It's all doctors' tools…" he told them before walking over and guiding Elizabeth to a rock and helped her to sit down. "How ya feeling?" John asked noticing that her eyes were closed.

"My head is pounding," she whispered in pain.

He frowned, "Hopefully we have some Tylenol or something that I can give you." Looking back over his shoulder, he waited for the Genii to finish looking over the med kit. "Done yet?" He got a glare from one of the Genii as the kit was thrust into his hands. Opening it, he pulled out a container of ibuprofen and shook out two tablets before retrieving the canteen and handing them to Elizabeth, "Take these. Hopefully it'll help."

Taking the pills in her hand, she popped them into her mouth and then washed it down with a drink of water. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" John asked as he lifted her hair a bit so he could see where all the blood was coming from. He wasn't a doctor, but he could do band-aids and clean-up.

"Making them stop," Elizabeth clarified with her head pounding the world seemed to spin and all that walking was making her too tired. She knew if she was on Atlantis she'd be ready for a nap by now.

He cleaned the wound the best he could and cringed a bit when she would hiss from the antiseptic cleaning out the dirt and bacteria. He wrapped it carefully with gauze, and watched her for a second before encouraging her to drink more. "I think you have a concussion."

"Great," she mumbled rubbing her face a bit.

"Your five minutes are up," Kolya announced.

Helping Elizabeth up first, John turned to shove all the items back into his pack before pulling it on. With any luck the Genii would let them keep it. He held out his wrists to be re-bound wanting to be a good prisoner so that Kolya wouldn't try anything. After all, for all he knew 'it's not much farther' was Genii code for twenty miles.

When they did finally get to Kolya's stronghold, John and Elizabeth were quite literally tossed into a semi-lit damp cell. It was constructed of hard rock with pointy edges jutting out in some areas. The only window was a barred one on the door that let you see down the hall. One of Kolya's men had argued that John still had his pack, but after resolving that there were no weapons they left.

Once the door swung shut with a heavy thump and then the slide of a lock being put into place, John looked over at Elizabeth that was curled up in a ball a couple feet from him. "You okay?" he asked and when she didn't respond verbally, but merely nodded her head a bit he knew that she really wasn't okay. "Elizabeth, you can't sleep," he told her not wanting her to slip into a coma. "You need to stay awake." When she was still quiet, he decided to add to keep her hopes up, "Teyla and Ronan will be coming through that door with a whole squad of Marines."

"John," she whispered weakly.

"I'm here, Elizabeth," he told her and managed to roll and scoot himself to her. He made it over so that he as only inches from her. "See."

A small smile came to her face, "Hi…"

"Hi," John replied and could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't all there, which scared him. Pulling at the ropes around his hands, within ten minutes he managed to get out of them. He knew he could have gotten out of them sooner, but he didn't have a plan that would help Elizabeth also. Untying her hands as well, John pulled her up and helped her over to one of the walls and held her close. He didn't want her to sleep, so John started to question her about things. Anything to keep her awake for at least a while longer.

TBC…


	3. Tactics

**Title:** Salvation

**Author:** atlantis child (Command Dynamics), innocent choir girl John and Elizabeth are separated from the team during a diplomatic mission off-world when they are ambushed by Genii. Hope is far and survival is the only thing on John's mind. They must struggle against Kolya in order to keep information from him and to break out of the Genii prison. Spoilers for seasons one through three.

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort

**Warnings:** Abuse, Character Death, Drugs, Torture, Violence

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 3 "Tactics"

**Author's Notes: **Ha, this chapter has been in my notebook for almost a week now…damn school… Between school and work at the moment, I've had little time to type. But that shall change when the lappy will be accompanying me to school pets laptop I have this LOVELY three hour gap between classes…

John didn't allow Elizabeth to sleep and when he was ready to relent because it had been long enough the door swung open and the Genii marched in. John yelled when they pulled Elizabeth from him and flung her a couple feet away. Her curled up body was the last thing he saw as the Genii dragged him out and then shut and locked the cell door.

Kolya wanted something, John knew that much. The interrogation simply started off as a yelling match and then turned physical and more violent. John was first being held down by Genii and then he had been tied down to the chair for them to beat. At first it was hitting which escaladed to punching and when John was sure Kolya was going to step it up another notch, he stopped.

The Genii pulled him from the chair and took him back down the hall before tossing him back into the cell. John coughed heavily, his chest was bruised severely and he just hoped that none of his ribs had been broken. Looking around, he noticed that Elizabeth was no longer where he had last seen her. Fear started to take hold of him thinking that Kolya had his men take her away. "Elizabeth!" he called out panicked. He stopped when he heard a quiet whimper and turned his head to the corner it was coming from. He could see a glimpse of red and breathed out in relief.

Carefully, John moved over to her. He knew that if she had a concussion like he suspected that things didn't make sense in her head. "Kolya didn't come back or any of the Genii?"

"No," she barely whispered keeping her knees tightly pulled to her chest.

As he got closer, he reached out for her. "C'mere…" he said gently settling against the wall. But when she didn't move, he moved a bit more towards her and pulled her so her head fell on his shoulder and his arm could wrap around her. "It's going to be okay, Elizabeth. I'll figure out a way to get us out of here," he promised and then immediately wondered how he'd keep that promise.

"What did they want?" Elizabeth asked in a hushed whisper.

"I'm not entirely sure, doesn't seem like I was very helpful."

Elizabeth snuggled closer, and sniffled a bit. She didn't even need to look at him to know that Kolya had ordered his men to do more than questioning, "They hurt you…"

John squeezed her a bit, "Nah… I've had worse." And he had. The last time Kolya had used a Wraith against him and he had almost died.

It seemed like months rather than days. Kolya and his men had taken John each time and had tried to liven up his tactics. He had started to use threats, which John didn't like, but also wasn't entirely sure that Kolya would go through with.

"Doctor Weir is dead," Kolya told him.

"You like that one. How many times have you 'killed' her?" John asked.

Kolya just glared before motioning the guards to once again take Sheppard back to his cell. This was the dance he had gotten used to playing…but he wasn't ready to reveal everything quite yet.

The heavy foot falls was a signal to Elizabeth. She'd move against one of the far walls and become invisible as possible. It was a routine that John had told her to do. She wasn't even supposed to check for his newest set of wounds until she heard the lock slide shut. From her placed pressed against the far wall, she watched as John was unceremoniously dumped in the middle of the cell. But when the guards didn't leave and instead more filled the cell her stomach knotted. The guards came for her this time, and they took her kicking and calling out for John. She could see him trying to get up, but the guards had formed a human wall to block his attempts. Elizabeth was scared; Kolya had tried to kill and had killed members of her expedition in the past. She wasn't sure what he had planned for her, but she knew she wouldn't like it.

John's yelling and pounding became fainter as they pulled her along. When they put her in a plain wooden chair with just a light swinging over head, she was surprised that Kolya didn't have them tie her hands. She sat quietly staring at him, "What do you want from us, Kolya?" she finally asked. The last couple of days she had reverted to mostly her normal self. She had been trying to figure out why Kolya had them and why he had yet to bring in his Wraith tactic. Though, she thought that perhaps the Genii just hadn't caught another.

Kolya smiled and neared her. "Cut right to it…where's the fun in that?" he asked.

"No mind games."

Kolya smirked, "I'm playing one now with Sheppard." And he had all intents of holding off on killing her, but he'd let Sheppard think he had for a day or so…at least.

"What do you want?" she asked again.

"Atlantis."

"I won't give you Atlantis," Elizabeth told him. "And my expedition won't trade Atlantis for Sheppard's life and mine." She had a feeling he knew that, and she knew that wasn't what he really wanted.

Kolya smiled, "Sheppard will tell me what I want soon enough. He'll hear your screams and then he won't doubt me anymore."

"He doesn't even know what you want," Elizabeth argued. She knew that she'd be the one easier to break, after all John had been trained to survive interrogations and such. And even if Kolya didn't know about Earth, their cultures or their militaries she was sure that Kolya knew that. She narrowed her eyes and spoke again, "You really don't want anything, do you? You're just doing all of this for kicks."

Kolya smile widened, "See. I knew you were intelligent, Doctor Weir."

"Why us? Why not everyone?" she asked, though she knew that she and John were the commanders of Atlantis and that was a good enough reason on its own.

"Call it unfinished business," Kolya said coldly before bringing his hand across Elizabeth's face."

TBC…


	4. Dark Times

**Title:** Salvation

**Author:** atlantis child (Command Dynamics), innocent choir girl John and Elizabeth are separated from the team during a diplomatic mission off-world when they are ambushed by Genii. Hope is far and survival is the only thing on John's mind. They must struggle against Kolya in order to keep information from him and to break out of the Genii prison. Spoilers for seasons one through three.

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort

**Warnings:** Abuse, Character Death, Drugs, Torture, Violence

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 4 "Dark Times"

**Author's Notes: **none.

Her cries and screams reached his ears and I took John a minute to realize that the cries…the screams were Elizabeth's. John pulled himself from the cold stone ground and launched himself to the barred window on the cell door. "KOLYA!" John yelled. He hadn't believed that Kolya would kill Elizabeth, but now her screaming had started to die down. He stopped moving and focused on the hallway.

John waited, his hands gripped tightly on the bars. Waiting for some movement from the room he knew so well. He watched as Kolya emerged first, followed by Genii pulling Elizabeth's lifeless body out. "KOLYA!" John yelled again wanting to gain Kolya's attention, but also to see if his raised voice would get Elizabeth to stir. When he only received a look from Kolya, John tried to break through the bars, even though he knew it was useless.

Kolya turned his attention back to his men. "Take her out and bury her in the pit." A smile formed on his lips as he heard John's cries his men disappeared around the corner with Doctor Weir. He paused for a moment before turning towards the cell and approaching John.

"I'm going to KILL you, KOLYA!" John told him emphasizing the last couple of words as he pressed his face against the bars practically spitting in Kolya's face.

"You underestimate me, Sheppard," Kolya told him smirking. "You could have kept her alive…but you refused to tell me what I wanted to know."

John's knuckles turned white as he tightened his hold on the bars. "You didn't tell me what you wanted to know!"

"Remember last time, Sheppard?" Kolya questioned moving a step forward. "My men are hunting down a new Wraith for you…"

"You think I'm going to tell you what you want to know now? You might as well kill me now, Kolya!" John spat before turning away from the door and retreating to the dark corner of the cell. John's head fell into his hands. He wasn't sure what to believe… Was she alive? Was she dead? Was it his fault? John could still hear her screams…haunting him.

The heavy door opened and a tray was slipped in before the door was slammed shut. John hadn't moved from his spot. He had been surprised that it had been two days since Kolya had taken him. He was also surprised that he had been brought a tray with what looked like something to drink, mush, and a piece of bread. Cautiously John moved from his corner and used his finger to dip into the mud colored mush before putting it into his mouth. His face contorted for a minute, it was awful…but at least it was something to eat.

The 'meal' wasn't anything substantial, but it was something… John wasn't even sure if the Genii would try to feed him. The power bars and water the Genii had allowed them to keep were all gone. But for all he knew this was his last meal. John almost wanted the meal to be poisoned…without Elizabeth what did he have to live for?

The door opened again and this time Kolya entered with a set of Genii guards. "Sheppard, on your feet," Kolya said sharply.

"Only if you're going to kill me," John responded not even bothering to look up at Kolya. "But I'm sure you don't need me to stand up in order to do that."

Kolya's men grabbed Sheppard and hauled him up and out of the cell. Dragging was done more than anything since Sheppard didn't seem in the walking mood. "Today, Sheppard, you're going to tell me what I want to know."

"I doubt that," he mumbled as he was strapped to the chair in Kolya's interrogation room.

"Perhaps I can sway your decision," Kolya said coolly. He folded his arms over his chest and stared at Sheppard. "Tell me about your relationship with Weir. Now did you just have a working relationship or did you love her? Because I know she cried out for you until the very end. Maybe you didn't love her, but she obviously cared for you."

John sat there listening to Kolya, trying to stay calm. He stared straight ahead and tried to ignore what Kolya was saying, but that didn't last long. He launched himself forward trying to fight against his bounds. "Shut up about Elizabeth!" He glared at Kolya as his guards pushed John back into place.

Kolya shook his head, "Doctor Weir," he started, but then corrected himself, "Elizabeth. Was your friend, was she not?"

"You know the answer to that!" John spat wishing that Kolya would just kill him and get it over with.

"Lovers?" Kolya continued.

"No," John responded lowly, continuing to glare at the man.

"But you cared about her…loved her?" he asked wanting to find out exactly how much leverage he'd have and how much more time he'd have with mind games.

John didn't respond at first wondering why Kolya wanted to know how much he cared for Elizabeth. But without really thinking he responded quietly, "Yes." Did it really matter now? Elizabeth was dead. No one was coming for them, or else he wouldn't still be there. He would be killed soon, so it seemed that really nothing mattered.

"Tell me what I want to know," Kolya repeated.

"What do you want to know, Kolya? You might as well tell me that before you kill me."

"Let's start with the code that you send to Atlantis in order for them to drop their shield," Kolya said.

John sighed; it suddenly felt like he was going to be alive a lot longer than he had originally thought. "Would you like my social security number, too? Maybe file my taxes?"

Kolya motioned for his men to leave the room and moved closer to John, "My men have informed me that they have found a Wraith and are on their way back, Sheppard."

"Promises, promises," he mumbled. "There's no reason I should give you any information."

"You need some incentive then?" Kolya asked, his voice calm and cool as he examined Sheppard.

"Not unless you can revive the dead," John told him moving his gaze down to the floor. Why was Kolya doing this? Did he just want to watch a Wraith feed off of him again and slowly drain away his life? He was sure it was possible, but didn't Kolya have better things to do? John could hear the other Genii enter, but he didn't even look up. He just wanted them to get it over and done with. He could hear Kolya move away from him, and John figured that perhaps he'd just be tossed back into his cell until they had the Wraith.

Kolya moved towards a very severely beaten Weir, who was still unconscious. He moved his foot until it made contact with her side and she produced a soft cry. "What's this?" he asked before crouching down and lifting Weir's bruised chin.

John lifted his chin to look over at Kolya and his eyes widened when he saw a broken Elizabeth slumped on the floor with Kolya holding her face up. "She's not dead…" he whispered. He probably wouldn't have believed that Elizabeth was alive, except for the cry that had come from her. Her dark locks were glued to the side of her face from the dried blood along which highlighted the bruising up and down the sides of her face. Her arm was lying strangely and John could only imagine that it was broken…and that was only what he could see.

"No, Sheppard…not yet she's not…" he told him. "But I can arrange for it to happen…"

"No!" John yelled launching up from his seat again. "Don't touch her! Kolya! Leave her alone!"

Kolya turned his attention back to Sheppard, "Tell me the code."

John slumped in the chair not knowing what else to do. With Elizabeth alive…there was hope. There was a reason for him to live. She needed to be protected…and John needed to find a way out. They needed to get home, and she needed medical attention. "I'll give you the code…" he said giving in. He had no other choice, John just hoped that the code he'd be giving Kolya was out of the system.

TBC…


	5. Anger

**Title:** Salvation

**Author:** atlantis child (Command Dynamics), innocent choir girl John and Elizabeth are separated from the team during a diplomatic mission off-world when they are ambushed by Genii. Hope is far and survival is the only thing on John's mind. They must struggle against Kolya in order to keep information from him and to break out of the Genii prison. Spoilers for seasons one through three.

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort

**Warnings:** Abuse, Character Death, Drugs, Torture, Violence

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 5 "Anger"

**Author's Notes: **Okay, so as I explained before school has started up. So, this has just taken me a while to type up due to extreme stress from school and work and general life. sighs Life would be so much easier if you could be a student and didn't have to work full time ;)

The minute John gave up the code Kolya let him and Elizabeth go back to the cell. Another tray was slipped in, this time with a greenish colored mush and enough food for two. He had gone through the pack pulling out emergency blankets out in an effort to make Elizabeth more comfortable. The main thing that worried him was that she had yet to regain consciousness…all he had heard was a groan come from her. Her eyes hadn't opened… There hadn't been any words… Cries were the only thing that had come from her. Wrapping one of the foil blankets around her, he held her close. "You're safe, Elizabeth," he whispered. It was partially true. "I'm not going to let Kolya hurt you anymore," he promised. His heart broke seeing her like that. He wasn't sure if he was ready to find out.

After a while, John felt that he should tell her exactly how much she meant to him. If they died, he wanted her to know. "Elizabeth," he started his voice breaking as he tried to form words.

"John?" Elizabeth mumbled weakly. She clutched to the strange crinkly material. Her eyes didn't open. She already hurt so much. She doubted she needed to see anything that they had done to her.

Relief overwhelmed him as he tightened his hold on her and pressed a long kiss to her forehead. "I'm here," he whispered.

"Kolya—" she started, but then stopped. Her whole body hurt.

"I know," John said. "He told me you were dead…"

Finally, Elizabeth opened her eyes realizing exactly why Kolya had wanted her. She also knew why Kolya had said he was playing mind games with John before she had been beaten. John had thought she was dead. "You didn't tell him anything…" she said confident that he would keep their secrets. The anger she saw in her eyes scared her, she didn't often see that type of anger in John's eyes.

"I gave him an old code," John confessed. "They won't accept it."

"John—" Elizabeth started, her voice laced with fear and a bit of disappointment.

He shook his head, "It was an old code, Elizabeth… It's expired," he tried to explain not wanting her to worry. He knew Kolya wouldn't be happy when he found out that, and John could only hope that Kolya himself went through and was slammed into the Atlantis gate's iris, but somehow he saw Kolya as slightly smarter than that.

Her voice was soft as she asked him, needing to know the answer to her question, "Why did you give him the code at all, John?" John was a solider and he knew how to handle interrogations and threats, so why did he give into Kolya?

Pain was what he heard in her voice and it only went to fuel his anger. John just stared at her for a minute before finally speaking up. "It was the only way to get you back…" he told her softly.

"John, you know the safety of Atlantis is more important than one person," Elizabeth told him. Even if it was an old code, she wasn't sure if the senior staff was desperate enough if they'd accept it or not. She hurt, but she also didn't want to worry John. At the moment, just laying there in his arms with him there was more than enough comfort to her mass of injuries.

"You're not just one person, Elizabeth," he told her and then moved her so he could look her over. He wanted to change the subject. He could get her out…or at least he hoped he could.

"John—"

"What hurts?" he asked quickly. In order to even try to escape, he figured Elizabeth would have to walk at the very least.

"John—"

He could be stubborn, too. "If you don't tell me then I'll have to start looking and poking around," he threatened. "Does anything not move?"

Giving in with a sigh, she gave him a small nod. "My arm…" she told him. "My left arm."

John tried to be careful as he removed her arm from the jacket's sleeve so he could look it over. He was horrified and immediately enraged when he saw that Elizabeth's arm was not only dark shades of black, purple, and blues, but swollen as well. He could also see the point in her upper arm where the bone had been broken. It was dangerously close to the skin, and John didn't like the idea of it punching through the muscle and tissue anymore than it already was. He frantically looked through the kit for something to help him patch her up. "I'm gonna try and splint that so the bone doesn't come through."

Elizabeth watched him, "Sounds like a good idea. I prefer to keep bones inside of my body."

He suddenly wished for a split second that Beckett was there, but quickly banished that thought at the idea of Carson having to go through any of the torture that they had both been put through. "Can you move your legs?" he asked as he pulled out the splint that was in the bag and held it up to Elizabeth's arm trying to see which size to use on it.

"It hurts, but they move," she confirmed.

"I'm going to get you out of here," he told her. "As soon as you're good enough for us to move, I'm going to get us out of here…" John wasn't exactly sure how that was going to work, but he was going to get her out…even if it killed him. "And for the record, no more off-world diplomatic missions…"

"It was fine until the Genii decided to start shooting people…" she mumbled holding her head with her right hand.

As gently as possible, he splinted her upper left arm. He heard her cry out, but was muffled since she was biting her bottom lip trying to stay quiet. "Sorry," he mumbled as he finished it. At least with the splint in place you couldn't see the bone pressed against the inner muscle to the skin. He looked at the kit, "There's some pain medication in here," he told her.

"No…" she told him, fighting what her brain was telling her. "If Kolya comes back, I want to be fully conscious…" Elizabeth was too worried that the medication would make her feel okay enough to fall asleep or just make her too out of it. It wasn't the time for it.

John carefully moved away from Elizabeth and over to the tray, dragging it over. "You should eat something," he told her. "It's disgusting…but it's still food." When she shook her head, he held up one of the pieces of bread, "You need to eat…" He moved it closer to her mouth deciding that he'd have to continue to use threats, "You don't eat…then I don't eat…" He could see the frustration in her face, she wasn't happy with it, but she finally opened her mouth and he started to feed her the bread.

The heavy footfalls coming towards them was what woke John immediately. He had managed to get food into Elizabeth and after much argument; he had managed to also get her to take one pill for pain, which had quickly lulled her off to sleep. He had slept up against one of the walls with her held tightly in his arms. But the footsteps getting louder made John's heart pound. Kolya had no doubtingly tried to send the code to Atlantis and had found out that it was fake…or at least not current. Moving Elizabeth carefully to the dark corner, he propped her up against the wall in hopes that they would want him and would leave her alone. And John just hoped that she'd sleep through them taking him away as well.

When the door swung open though, the guards immediately fanned out. One set throwing John up against the wall while another picked up Elizabeth and took her out of the room. John yelled, he knew if she woke up that either way she'd panic…either from his yelling or the fact that Kolya's men had her again.

Kolya stepped in, and approached John. "Sheppard, that was a bold move you made… You risked Doctor Weir's life…once again. You might not be so lucky this time. Perhaps I need to make more of a point. Do you not believe I'll kill her? She's already pretty close to it…"

"I gave you a code, Kolya," John argued.

"The code did not work…" he said coldly. "I lost five good men."

"So take me, not Elizabeth… I know more about the workings of Atlantis, the codes, and the tactics… She's just a civilian…" John tried to negotiate. He wanted Kolya to give her back. He was too afraid of what they'd do to her this time after seeing what they had done.

Kolya smirked, "At least you seem to give in when I use her… Maybe you would like to watch? But I know Sheppard that you will not give me what I want…not the real codes…"

"So why even try? Let Elizabeth go…"

Tilting his head, Kolya studied John for a minute before responding, "Even you know that women have more uses than for interrogation purposes… They could even be used as techniques to extract information… We get lonely here being separated from the rest of the Genii," he said.

"Don't touch her!" he snapped launching himself forward against the two Genii who were holding him to the wall.

Kolya just smirked before turning and walking out of the cell.

TBC…


	6. It's Okay

**Title:** Salvation

**Author:** atlantis child (Command Dynamics), innocent choir girl John and Elizabeth are separated from the team during a diplomatic mission off-world when they are ambushed by Genii. Hope is far and survival is the only thing on John's mind. They must struggle against Kolya in order to keep information from him and to break out of the Genii prison. Spoilers for seasons one through three.

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort

**Warnings:** Abuse, Character Death, Drugs, Torture, Violence

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 6 "It's okay…"

**Author's Notes: **none

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When Elizabeth was returned John cradled her and whispered to her that he was there. That Kolya wasn't there… His voice broke as tears cascaded down his cheeks. He could tell she was in pain by how she was breathing…how she wasn't even moving the slightest bit and then there was the fact that she was still unconscious. John was thinking that maybe Kolya would really kill Elizabeth. If he took her again, John didn't think she'd be alive if she was even returned to him. He wanted to tell her to tell Kolya whatever he wanted to know. John just knew he couldn't lose her, he already knew what that felt like.

Whimpering was what broke John from his thoughts. Turning his face down, his eyes locked with hers unable to take in the new array of bruises for fear that he'd break down. He knew he needed to protect her. "I'm here," he whispered hoping in some small way it was a comfort.

Her mouth didn't open to speak. Instead, she just whimpered and tears cascaded down her cheeks. John could only reason that she was in excruciating pain… Elizabeth had never been trained for this, had never had to deal with interrogations like he had been trained to withstand. Elizabeth Weir by far, John knew, was not a fragile woman. She was a woman of strength, caring, and courage. He had promised to protect her and Kolya kept making him a liar.

Looking around, John spotted his pack, which still contained the med kit in it. Some painkillers seemed like the only possible way he could be of any help. Looking back down at her, John gently cupped her bruised cheek, "Elizabeth, I need to move you." His voice was quiet and gentle as he talked to her, "I'm going to get you some pain medication. Okay?" He wanted to make sure she knew what was going on and knew exactly why he would be causing her pain in the process of moving her. As gently as he could, he carefully laid her on the floor before scrambling over for the pack.

Opening the pack after moving it back, so it was next to Elizabeth, John looked through the medical kit and stopped when he found the injectable pain killers and sedatives. There were also pill forms, but John thought that the injection would go into effect quicker. Deciding to go with the shot form, John removed the cap and let a little squirt out like he had seen done on TV and in movies. He knew it had something to do with making sure there was no air in the syringe. Carefully, he injected it into her arm and hoped that he was doing it the right way and not hurting her.

He watched her carefully, waiting for any sign of pain relief wash over her. And soon he saw her relax, her face loosen. "A bit better?" he asked cupping her face gently.

"A bit," she responded and held her arm to her chest. It was no longer bound, but the splint was still in place.

John wasn't sure what more he could do. He knew she was in pain and if Kolya took her again he wasn't sure if she'd come back. But with her in such a weakened state, he wasn't sure if he could enact an escape and get them both out and to the Stargate. He didn't even think she could walk… Pulling her close, he sat there staring straight ahead wondering how he was going to get her to safety. Was it just impossible? Was he kidding himself and getting Elizabeth's hopes up?

Watching him, she tried to read him. Tried to figure out what he was thinking. They had been working together for long enough now that she could almost read his thoughts. "John?" she spoke softly. "It's okay…"

Looking down at Elizabeth, he wondered if she knew just what he was thinking… She already seemed to be pretty good at knowing him, but he wasn't sure why she was saying what she was saying… "What do you mean its okay?" he asked thinking of multiple meanings to that statement. The calmness and confidence in her voice shocked him. What if she was already too far gone? What if she was just barely holding on?

"It's okay…to let go," she told him. A smile spread across her face trying to let him know it was okay. "To leave me…behind," she added. Elizabeth knew John probably didn't want to do either, but she still felt the need to let him know.

"It's not okay!" he argued, and a second later he regretted it when he realized he was shaking her a bit, his hands gripping her too tightly and his voice much too loud. John didn't want to scare her. But he wasn't going to just abandon and leave her either.


	7. The Ultimate Sacrifice

**Title:** Salvation

**Author:** atlantis child (Command Dynamics), innocent choir girl John and Elizabeth are separated from the team during a diplomatic mission off-world when they are ambushed by Genii. Hope is far and survival is the only thing on John's mind. They must struggle against Kolya in order to keep information from him and to break out of the Genii prison. Spoilers for seasons one through three.

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort

**Warnings:** Abuse, Character Death, Drugs, Torture, Violence

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 7 "The Ultimate Sacrifice"

**Author's Notes: **pull out the Kleenex people! This is the last chapter…and Kleenex is needed. Be warned now.

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Most of the time John just sat there with Elizabeth in his arms. The drugs had kicked in and she had fallen asleep. It had been a strangely happy time for him. He knew that she wasn't in pain…and just the knowledge of that was currently enough to keep him calm. Staring at the medical kit he tried to figure out how much longer the pain medication would last. Not nearly long enough was what he thought.

Picking up one of the bottles, he examined the label. 'Do not crush' was one of the warnings on it. "Why not?" John argued with the bottle. Once the injectable drugs were gone, how else was he supposed to get them into her? "Why not? What could possibly happen?" And then a thought came to mind. Overdose. At first the idea really freaked him out, but then it started to not sound so bad.

John didn't want to loose Elizabeth, let alone kill her himself, but what other options were there at the moment? No one was coming, and if they were…they were taking too damn long. There wasn't a way out…not one that he'd be able to get them both out alive. And the hard cold truth was Kolya was going to kill Elizabeth. At the moment he was doing it slowly and painfully. It wasn't only killing Elizabeth, but him also in a way he had never thought of before.

Sighing he looked up at the dark ceiling and wondered if he could live with himself after doing such a thing to his friend, who meant more than that to him…that was if Kolya didn't kill him. But if he let her suffer? It was hard enough…

Leaning down and placing a kiss gently on her forehead, he whispered, "I love you, Elizabeth." He let his forehead rest against hers as he thought about the option at hand.

…………………………………………

It took a whole day until they received food or water. It was a portion only for one and John wondered if Kolya thought he'd killed Elizabeth that time. Or perhaps they thought it was just inevitable?

John took only a sip of the water and a bit of the mush. Elizabeth had barely been awake since she had fallen asleep the day before after he had given her the pain medication. John thought that it was probably that that made what he was about to do so easy.

Opening the med kit, John opened the bottles of pills. There were enough, he thought. The containers that held the pills were small, but John ventured the two bottles would work just fine. Taking out a piece of plastic from the pack, John used the pill container to ground both bottles of pills into powder form before stirring it into the mush.

Now he'd wait until she woke up before he could get her to eat any of it. It would also give him more time to think it over. Just in case he decided to back out of it…he would have time. So, he relaxed and thought about what was about to happen… What would happen if anyone finally showed up to rescue them…

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Hours later, Elizabeth woke…and John was partially relieved. But she wasn't all there, he managed to get her up into a sitting position and drink some water. So, then he slowly started to feed her the mush. He was just happy that she wasn't having problems getting it down. Slowly he fed her. It was silent; she didn't even try to say anything. John wasn't even sure if she knew who he was…but at least she wouldn't be in any pain… After the mush was gone, he helped her drink more of the water, before just leaning against the wall holding her. He didn't want to leave her alone…

Holding her tightly, he kissed her forehead. "I love you," he whispered to her again. His eyes welled up thinking about how she probably couldn't hear him… But he still needed to say it. And John hoped that Elizabeth knew how much he did care for her… He watched as her eyes closed. Hope that she'd be free from the pain and suffering, John leaned back and closed his eyes. Knowing that she'd be okay now, he let himself sleep…he had been worn from lack of sleep...the dark circles under his eyes would testify to it.

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When John woke up some time later, he looked over Elizabeth. Her eyes were shut, her body was still limp. Her breathing was quiet and shallow. John wasn't sure if her body was shutting down…or more just hibernating… But she was quiet and there were no signs of her experiencing pain…

When the door swung open, John didn't even look up. He heard mumbling and footfalls closing in on them. He let them take Elizabeth and then drag him off. They had been left along for so long it seemed…Kolya was bound to come back and check on them…

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That was the last time John saw Elizabeth. Kolya had reminded him about the Wraith, but John really didn't care. With Elizabeth, his soul had gone, too… He didn't care if he lived or died… He didn't care what Kolya did… It was like he was empty inside…he just wished that he could ascend…or something like it.

One day the door swung open and John wished that they'd just get it over with and bring the Wraith in and let it feed off of him, but instead of a heavy hand clutching his shoulder it was a gentle hand accompanied by a gentle voice. John just stared at Carson Beckett who was looking him over. He hadn't expected them to ever come… Why did they? Why not just let him die? He couldn't live now… Not without Elizabeth… Not after everything he'd done.

But, with Ronan's help, John was pulled to his feet and out of the Genii cell. John wondered if Kolya had left him to die as he was pulled through…there were no signs of any of the Genii. "Elizabeth," John mumbled quietly.

Carson's face went grim, "We found her." He stopped and turned to John, he wanted to make the break as easy as possible. "She was in another cell… She didn't make it."

"My fault," he mumbled. He'd already cried for Elizabeth…several times…he wasn't even sure if his tear ducts could produce anymore tears.

"No lad…" Carson tried to assure as they walked again. He had already arranged for the marines that had come with them to take Elizabeth's body back through to Atlantis. He didn't see any need in leaving her in the cell, not when she could be buried on Atlantica's mainland or Earth.

As Ronan, Teyla, and Carson tried to get him to walk, John felt as if he was looking at the world through other eyes. He wanted to tell them to leave him there…to scream to them that he had been the one to kill Elizabeth…that they had taken too long… But instead, John stayed silent. Passive, even. The others guided him to the Stargate and through to Atlantis.

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Atlantis felt wrong. All he had done was spend time in the infirmary. Mainly silent. But when Carson told him that he'd be sent back to Earth if he didn't say anything, John felt a stinging through his whole body. Elizabeth was on Atlantica…he didn't want to leave… Perhaps he was just going crazy, but John could feel her…it gave him some reassuring that she was safe…home even.

"I crushed up the pills," John told Carson. His voice was weak and strained from not talking for so long. "I fed them to her in the food… I just…" John's voice cracked. "I just couldn't stand her in anymore pain… Kolya was going to hurt her…torture her more and more… I couldn't let him do that…"

"You took away the pain," Carson said understanding at least the concept John was trying to convey.

"I killed her…"

Carson shook his head, "No ya didn't… Elizabeth died from lack of dehydration and malnutrition. I did find a large dose of pain killers and sedatives in her system, but I believe she was in a coma… Ya didn't kill her… Kolya did." He saw the look on John's face; Carson wasn't sure what it was…relief or guilt…but he did know that maybe John was healing… Healing in ways that Carson really couldn't assist in with IV fluids. "But John," he said gently putting his hand on John's arm. "She didn't suffer…"

She didn't suffer.

It was a small comfort… But that was what he had wanted, wasn't it? To stop her suffering… John knew that his life on Atlantis was over… Without Elizabeth there he didn't feel the same purpose he once had. The Air Force already had replacements for them both anyways and they seemed to be doing just fine. Instead, John had taken up on Teyla's offer. He was going to move to the mainland as soon as Carson released him. He'd be closer to Elizabeth there, and maybe in that simple lifestyle he could fine peace.

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The End.


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